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Please help your voters by preserving an educational system in which our children and <br /> our teachers can thrive. Please help us by allocating additional funding for the schools. <br /> Many thanks and warm regards, <br /> Katie Jamieson <br /> • Dear Board of Orange County Commissioners, <br /> Thank you for your continued support of our schools. As the officers of the PTA at <br /> Glenwood Elementary School, we have seen first-hand the impact that financial support <br /> of our schools has on the day-to-day educational experience of our <br /> students. Unfortunately, we believe that the proposed budget falls well below the current <br /> needs of our schools and our students. <br /> The current Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools request—an increase of$302 per student <br /> —takes into account the many cuts being proposed a the state level and the shortfalls for <br /> which we must account. The citizens of Orange County are proud of the educational <br /> experiences and outcomes of our students, and sufficient funding is essential to maintain <br /> these standards and continue to improve. Extremely concerning to us is the potential <br /> loss of 12 teachers or 25 teacher assistants, based on funding cuts. Such a loss could <br /> prove crippling for schools already struggling to retain outstanding teachers who are <br /> being recruited to other, better-funded areas of the country. The proposed funding also <br /> would allow us to continue initiatives already in place to help close the Achievement <br /> Gap. The results of these initiatives will not be immediate and the efforts need to carry <br /> on for several years in order for us to see the benefits. To cut funding now would be to <br /> undo valuable progress already made. <br /> Additionally, we would like to express our support for the entire 2016 bond going towards <br /> the schools. This money is necessary for the revitalization of many old buildings in the <br /> district. If this money is diverted to other areas, our schools will continue to exist in a <br /> state of disrepair. (Did you know that Glenwood's 62-year-old school building has no <br /> ADA accessible restroom facilities, for either children or adults?) Our schools are a <br /> sense of local pride and also a very real draw for those considering the area —we <br /> recently met with a family relocating from California that chose Orange County over <br /> Wake County based on our schools. Please help our schools to remain strong and our <br /> area to continue to attract new families by investing in the future with the entire 2016 <br /> Bond. <br /> Thank you for your service and your support of education in Orange County. <br /> Best, <br /> Shannon Eubanks, Dana Gelin, Katie Jamieson, Casey Saussy and Susan Swafford <br /> • I am writing to request that the Board of Commissioners fund the FULL budget request <br /> of both CHCCS and Orange County Schools. This is important to our schools and our <br /> children, and therefore to maintain quality of life in our community. <br /> Richard Goldberg <br /> 1075 Brace Lane <br /> Chapel Hill NC 27516 <br />